Italy's WASP creates 3D printed living space based on 1960s artwork

Italy's WASP, a company specialising in 3D printing liveable homes, has completed work on the printing phase of the "House of Dust" sculpture - a sustainable living space based on artwork from the 1960s.

The sculpture, which marks the second major project undertaken by the company, was completed in collaboration with the Museum Wiesbaden and was based on the works of culture artist Alison Knowles. It comes just a few months after WASP completed work on the first permanent 3D living space in its native Italy.

Read more: Italy's WASP unveils world's first 3D printed habitat

The project was based on a concept Knowles developed in 1967 with Siemens - the first major example of a computer-generated poem - that created stanzas by selecting words from a finite list.

This idea was translated into a real liveable sculpture created in Chelsea, New York in 1968 before finding a home at the California Institute of the Arts in Burbank, California.

The project successfully melds poetry, architecture and computer science and formed an important milestone in her artistic career. Knowles helped form the avant-garde Fluxus movement in the 1950s and has dedicated her life to breaking the boundaries between various art forms.

The project involved creating a living space using poetry generated through a computer and was open to members of the public to spend time there.

This inspired the printing process for the new model, by taking the firm's layering 3D printing technologies and delivering through the use of natural materials.

The project took over 50 hours to complete and required over 500 machine codes to coordinate the 165 layers of 15mm material, alongside 15km of extrusion. The company reports that eight cubic metres of natural materials were used in the construction of the project.

The sculpture stands roughly 2.5 metres tall with a surface area of 16 square metres.

The project was delivered using the same "Crane WASP" technology that built the first livable habitat in Italy back in January, which utilises multiple 3D printers operating at the same time.

Members of the public can even book to spend a night within the sculpture, which offers an earthy design blending art with practical application and sustainable living.

WASP has been 3D printing based on the concepts of the circular economy and digital fabrication since 2012. Its methods are inspired by the potter wasp, which uses wood and pulp to build sturdy nests.

The company's speciality is 3D printing fully liveable houses, which it has been doing on the public market since early 2021 when it unveiled its first major project.

"The transformation of ways of living and working in a world influenced by globalisation, digitisation and climate change is one of the central themes of our time," said Massimo Moretti, WASP's founder.

He added: “Developing processes to build a home as the birthright for every person is a responsibility of the most advanced societies.

Read more: The effect the pandemic has had on 3D printing adoption

"The humblest materials, the waste from the agri-food chain and the raw earth deposited by a machine at the point and in the quantity proportionate to transform the shapeless matter at house is the process that WASP is developing. Living in a sculpture is the crystallisation of the process."

Knowles' artwork is one of ten temporary liveable sculptures created by artists present in the Frankfurt metropolitan area. The sculptures will remain there until September 26.

Members of the public can book to spend a night inside one of these sculptures online.

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